August is an expensive month to fly by all accounts so to help your combat this extra expense and to offer a slightly different option, we are running a budget retreat this week with 7 nights accommodation at Quinta Mimosa, self-catered but with six 2-hour morning yoga sessions.

Prices for this week are discounted to €695 single ensuite, €595 twin ensuite and €495 dormitory.  Other prices are available for non-yogi partners.  Private yoga and massage sessions will also be available during the week and there is also the option to combine this week with the following week, 4th to 11th September for a further 10% discount.

Families Welcome

If you are seeking to have a yoga break but don’t wish to leave the family at home, there are options for family groups to come and we do have excellent child carers available, or you may like to bring a partner or helper and receive a generous discount on our non-yoga participant rate.  Please enquire for full details.

Yoga & Ayurvedic Retreat – 9th to 16th October

We are sharing Quinta Mimosa with a visiting Ayurvedic specialist this week and treatments will be available.  Accommodation will be limited onsite to twin shared ensuite and dormitory accommodation only.  Those seeking single ensuite rooms will be hosted offsite in a beautiful Portuguese hotel just 10 minutes away at the lovely Loule Jardim hotel with rooftop bar and pool (transport provided). Prices for this special week are discounted to €665 twin, €545 dormitory and €765 single (offsite) but still include accommodation, brunch, 2 evening meals and 10 sessions of yoga with Rachel.

Full details of all these options are available from rachel@orangetreeyoga.com or visit the holidays page.

The practice of physical yoga postures, breathing techniques and relaxation actually starts the process of “detoxing” the body of stress.  We hold our tension in our muscles and our posture is often a tell-tale sign of our state of mind. For example, someone with a collapsed chest and rounded shoulders may have depression or lack of confidence or simply be fearful of experiencing life, due to past experiences and their ways of coping with them.  Someone who is a shallow breather, who feels their muscles aching more than others or who’s eyes won’t relax is often someone with anxiety or unreleased anger or frustration.  They tend to rush into their postures and be impatient when doing relaxation postures.

Over time, the practice of yoga postures helps people to come back to their true nature, peace.  We get glimpses of it from time to time, moments of clarity when all our problems, worries and habitual clinging on to life are let go of, and we are simply just in the moment, on our mats.  The idea is then to take this feeling of groundedness into our everyday lives and learn to live a little more in balance.  We learn to create the state of mind that can help us to change the way we perceive life’s stresses and strains, the way we deal with them and to help us move more freely through them.

A skilled teacher can help individual students through the process of change with specific postures and techniques tailored to alleviate our more negative feelings and to enhance positive feelings.  Very broadly, and obviously these postures need to be modified to suit all levels of physical ability and experience also, back bending or chest opening poses are beneficial for depression and anxiety; inverted postures such as headstands, shoulderstands are good for combating fearfulness and lack of confidence; forward bends are very good for emotional stress and fatigue; breathing techniques can be applied for a wide range of stress disorders and twisting poses are a great way to release the physical blocks we create in our bodies when we hold ourselves in tension.

Yoga can also help those who have gone through serious trauma, drug or alcohol addiction and many offenders in prison practice yoga to help them rehabilitate back into society, to come to terms with their path they have created and to start the process of change.  A carefully balanced programme of postures and relaxation will guide students to maintaining emotional strength and stability and to releasing gently and slowly many of the emotional disturbances and habits associated with their conditions and life choices.

BKS Iyengar says of yoga & the mind:

“The primary aim of yoga is to restore the mind to simplicity and peace, and free it from confusion and distress. This sense of calm comes from the practice of yogic asanas and pranayama. Unlike other forms of exercise which strain muscles and bones, yoga gently rejuvenates the body. By restoring the body, yoga frees the mind from the negative feelings caused by the fast pace of modern life. The practice of yoga fills up the reservoirs of hope and optimism within you. It helps you overcome all obstacles on the path to perfect health and spiritual contentment. It is a rebirth.”

For more information or to book a class or individual session, contact Rachel on +44207 5588658 or +351 913839621.

We shall be returning there possibly this December but certainly next May – watch this space for more news and check out the photo/video montage below:

6th & 7th November, Curracloe Yoga Centre, Wexford, Ireland

10.30am to 1.00pm & 1.45pm to 3.45pm

Cost: Weekend €80

Saturday all day only €45

Saturday morning only €25

Rachel is delighted to be returning to Wexford this November to run a two day workshop at Curracloe Yoga Centre.

The weekend will be suitable for all levels and complete beginners may attend the first session on Saturday as a taster before opting to join in for the rest of the weekend.  Residential options are also available and both days will include light refreshments.

Weekends in September, November & December 2010 BALANCE, Northampton

These three weekends will follow a similar format and will explore different themes.

Fridays 7pm to 9pm.  This will be an intermediate level class for students experienced in Iyengar Yoga and who have practised shoulderstand and or headstand regularly.)

Saturdays 11am to 4.30pm with a 30 minute break at 1.30pm allowing students to attend either session or all day.  This will be an all levels day suitable for all.  The morning session is the best session to attend if you are a complete beginner or have little experience.

30th October at Yoga AKASHA, East Grinstead, East Sussex

Workshop 1 of 2 (2nd workshop on 20th November) 11am to 4pm

Price: £35 all day or £25 for the morning part only (11am to 1.30pm)

Rachel returns to the wonderful urban yoga space that is Yoga Akasha, for two linked workshops.  Students can attend either but will benefit from coming to Workshop 1 & 2 as they follow on from each other.  The first workshop will focus on building the foundations for a balanced practice and understanding the connections between the postures, the connection between the body, breath and mind.  Suitable for all levels.

14th November 2010 in LYME REGIS, Dorset

Day Workshop from 10am. The second of two annual workshops in Lyme Regis, Dorset at the wonderful Masonic Hall, overlooking Lyme Bay.  Please bring a light lunch.  Equipment will be provided if you don’t have your own.  Timings will be 10am to 1pm and 1.30pm to 3.30pm.  The day is great for all levels as Rachel paces the class to suit everybody.  Her sister is organising bookings so please contact her via her website at www.hannahlovegrove.com.

20th November at Yoga AKASHA, East Grinstead, East Sussex

Workshop 2 of 2 (1st workshop on 30th October) 11am to 4pm

Price: £35 all day or £25 for the morning part only (11am to 1.30pm)

The second of two linked workshops at Yoga AKASHA.  Students can attend either but will benefit from coming to Workshop 1 & 2 as they follow on from each other.  The second workshop will look at more advanced work such as inversions and back bends with attention to detail and compassion for the body and mind. Suitable for all levels.

An extra week at Quinta Mimosa, Portugal, has now been scheduled for August 28th to September 4th.  This means that guests can enjoy either a week or even two weeks of yoga & meditation at the lovely retreat centre in the heart of the Algarve.  Visit the main holidays page for more information or contact Rachel to enquire for more details.

Three Days of Iyengar Yoga at BALANCE Studio, Northampton

Thank you to everyone who came to BALANCE to experience the Iyengar Yoga sessions.  We had a wonderful weekend of learning and sharing in Yoga with some new and some old friends and faces.  Friday night was a bit of a reunion with students from way back uniting again for an intermediate class – just like old times!  Saturday, we were joined by some newcomers to Iyengar yoga who were intrigued (and not a bit delighted, bless you Phil) at having their feet tied together with belts!  In the afternoon, the smaller group worked on hips and preparing for lotus.  Then finally on Sunday, a beginners session focusing on the basics with a long and well-received relaxation at the end, and still leaving plenty of time to munch through those Easter eggs.

Thanks again go to Kerry, Ali and the team at BALANCE for providing the lovely space.  Next workshop days are on the 8th and 9th of May in Turvey, Bedfordshire and Lyme Regis, Dorset.  Details on the Yoga Classes tab.

Friday, Saturday & Sunday 2nd, 3rd and 4th April 2010

Join Rachel this Easter weekend for a session of Iyengar yoga at BALANCE, Northampton with options for all levels of student including new beginners. For bookings, please contact Rachel on 07725120043 or email her direct at rachel@orangetreeyoga.com

Friday 7pm to 9pm General/Intermediate Class – £15
Saturday 10am to 12.30pm & 1.15pm to 3.45pm All Levels – £18 per session or £35 all day
Sunday 1pm to 3pm New Students/Beginners Class – £15

CURRENT CLASSES UNTIL JUNE 2010

BALANCE Studio, Northampton

Mondays - 7pm to 8.30pm (all levels)

Wednesdays - 11.00am to 12.30pm (“Gentle” Yoga Class for those needing to take things a little more slowly and easier)

Drop-in students welcome but check with Rachel first to let her know you are coming.  Charge is £10 per class or £65 for 7 sessions.  Contact her via rachel@orangetreeyoga.com or call 07725120043.

PRIVATE CLASSES & CORPORATE EVENTS

Rachel teaches clients at BALANCE on a private 1:1 basis or in their own home if more convenient.  Personal programmes of yoga can be maintained and monitored combined with massage or as stand-alone classes.  She also teaches at festivals, events and corporate workshops.  For further information, contact her via rachel@orangetreeyoga.com or call 07725120043.

MONDAY MASSAGE

Rachel is offering back and shoulder, half and full body massage treatments on Mondays.  She can focus on specific problem areas or provide a relaxing and rejuvenating treatment to anyone suffering from stress or anxiety, or just needing some peace and tranquillity.

For massage treatments and private yoga classes, clients will be required to fill in a medical questionnaire – all information will be treated in the strictest confidence.  For bookings or further information, contact her via rachel@orangetreeyoga.com or call 07725120043.

If you look at the various positions of different kinds of riders, you will see also that the posture applied by the design of the bike can vary too – in racers, the rider is forwards so the lower back muscles elongate and the upper back can be very rounded.

In street bikes, there is a more upright posture and in cruisers, the legs and hips are slung forwards and the hands are high up. All of these positions have an effect on the spine which will effect the impact into the lower body and the internal organs.

Yoga can help to improve a persons riding technique by toning all the muscles groups through weight bearing and toning exercises as well as targeted posture work to focus on specific areas. With the awareness of posture through yoga, riders can often improve their riding position by learning how to be a relaxed rider with all their muscles and joints working efficiently and ergonomically. Once off the bike, a few simple stretches can help to alleviate the stiffness and cramps and a regular practice will keep riders fit and healthy to ride better and longer. Regular yoga practice also helps with concentration, coordination and reaction speeds and although unfortunately accidents do happen, the recovery time in people who do yoga regularly is a lot faster and better than in those who have no body health programme in place.

Massage also alleviates tired muscles or tension in shoulders, backs and legs and a good therapist will often give advice on posture and preventative measures – a good therapist or teacher won’t just love you and leave you – they will be a point of reference for you to keep working towards a better ride, a safer ride and and better one life.

Rachel offers private consultations to focus on specific areas for any sport or activity.  As a qualified yoga teacher and massage therapist, she is able to provide a fully comprehensive body maintenance service to help people maintain their fitness, strength and flexibility as well as managing their stress and relaxation levels. She runs classes and workshops in Northampton and around the UK and provides massage treatments to target specific problem areas such as upper back & shoulders, arms, legs and neck.